Wednesday, October 5, 2011

The kid with the black eye showed up for group, as usual. He had tried to pour his dad's bottle of liquor down the kitchen sink drain. Dad had caught him in the act.

Dad wasn't happy, hence the black eye.

This wasn't the first time, but hopefully it would be the last.

My experience working with children from families with histories of addiction and alcoholism, has been frustrating, illuminating and sometimes terrifying. It has also been rewarding, beyond anything I could have imagined.

Each week, somewhere between six and ten young teenagers meet with myself and co-facilitator Lacey Chandra Macauley to share their experience of living in in a family dominated by the disease of of addiction.

There are tears, sorrows, joys and fears--some shared for the first time--in an environment that puts the lie to the addictive message "don't tell anyone." Here, it is safe to tell.

The group was originally funded by a small grant, but in this economy, grants have become scarce. The funding ended years ago, but the group does not. It continues to run during the school months, at no charge.

I believe that it is too important to let it fail simply because money has dried up. Miracle of miracles, this year some funding came through the Delaware County Office of Behavioral Health, (Division of Drug & Alcohol) that has allowed Lacey to come to this group and be the valuable asset that she has been to other groups in Delaware County. She is a most welcome addition.

So, we begin another year of Children from Addicted Families Group. There will be sad stories, but there will also be warmth and tolerance and support. There will be scary stories, but there will also be reassurance and hope. There will be black eyes, but also some help for them to heal.

Please support us.

If you have a young teenager you feel would benefit from this group, please contact us:

Ken Williams

Hello, Friend

I've been an addiction counselor for over thirty years. I'm in long-term recovery from addiction. I am a husband and father; a member of several self help fellowships.

And I have something to say. Actually, quite a lot to say.

About addiction, about treatment, about the drug laws, about Recovery as both a personal journey and a social movement.

And about Interventions. I have been doing them for over twenty-five years, and there are things I see today, that while well-intentioned, range from ineffective to outright irresponsible and dangerous.

So, if you are interested in an ongoing discussion of the topics listed above as well as any other aspect of addiction and recovery, I hope that this will be a place to engage in that discussion.